Promising three-year-old colt Archives, a first-crop son of Darley Victoria stallion Helmet, has climbed off the canvas to win the G3 Red Anchor Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.

Archives looked beaten when headed approaching the home turn on Saturday but the big-striding colt fought back to score by a nose from Crafted (Starcraft).  “We travelled fairly wide but he kept his rhythm up,” winning jockey James McDonald said.  “He definitely had to do it the tough way to keep them at bay.”

It was the second stakes victory for Archives who won the Listed Hampden Stakes (1200m) at Doomben in May before heading for a winter spell.  He was runner-up in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes when resuming in September prior to an unplaced effort in the Group 3 Guineas Prelude last month.

Bred by Darley, he is the penultimate foal of Group 1 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Preserve (Canny Lad) and is a three-quarter brother to Group 3 winner Safeguard (Exceed And Excel) who is currently covering his first book at Mogumber Park in Western Australia.

Preserve died in December 2014 and her final foal is a 2yo colt named Connoisseur (Exceed And Excel).

Helmet (Exceed And Excel) stands at Northwood Park at a fee of $16,500 (inc gst).  He was a Group 1 winner of the Sydney Sires’ Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes at two and earned a better Timeform rating than Fastnet Rock, Starspangledbanner and So You Think at three after an outstanding victory in the G1 Caulfield Guineas.

A homebred for Sheikh Mohammed, he shuttles from Darley Victoria to Kildangan Stud in Ireland.  There have been 16 European winners to date including the stakes performers Thunder Snow, Eqtiraan, Mur Hiba and Boater.